Generation Of Computer

Generation in computer is a step in technology.It provides a framework for the growth of the computer industry.Computers are generally classified into different generations according to the memory device used in the computers.So the term "generation" was used to distinguish between varying hardware technologies.There are totally five generations till today.Generation of computers are listed in the table below.

If you are unable to see the table below,just copy the table and paste it in to Microsoft Word.

Generation	Duration	Memory Device	Features	Example
First	1942-1955	Vacuum Tubes or Valves	Ø used vacuum tubes as electronic circuit Ø magnetic drum for primary storage Ø mercury delay lined for memory Ø punch-card used as secondary storage Ø machine level programming used Ø operating speed was used in terms of millisecond	Mark-I, UNIVAC, ENIAC etc.
Second	1955-1964	Transistor	Ø magnet core memory used as internal storage Ø magnet tapes used as secondary storage Ø little bit faster I/O devices Ø high level language used as programming Ø processing speed measured in microsecond	IMB 1401, ICL 2950/10 etc.
Third	1964-1975	IC(Integrated circuits)	Ø semi conductor memory used as primary storage Ø magnetic discs were used as secondary storage Ø massive use of high level language Ø processing speed increased to nanosecond and even faster	IBM 360 series, UNIVAC 9000 etc.
Fourth	1975-1990	VLSI or Microprocessor	Ø massive use of magnetic and optical storage devices with capacity more than 100 GB Ø advancement in software and high level language Ø use of 4^th generation language(4GL) Ø operation speed increased beyond picoseconds and MIPS (Millions of Instructions Per Second)	IBM PC, Pentium PC, Apple/Macintosh etc.
Fifth	1990+	Bio-Chips	Ø AI will make computer Intelligent and knowledge based Ø very high speed, PROLOG (programming language)	-